Dying at home

Many old people prefer to die at home, rather than in a hospital, if they know the death is near. They know that it is costly to stay in hospital and that the medical treatment only prolong the suffering.

I spoke to the administrator of a hospital about this matter. He said that 70% of people die in the hospital, although it is beter for them to be in their home during the last days.

His hospital is able to arrange for a nurse to train the family members on how to handle the last days, and also to pay a visit the patient, when required.

One difficulty faced by the family members is finding a doctor to certify the death. They can get the family doctor to do it, if they have a regular doctor. If not, this can be quite troublesome.

He said that the funeral director can also arrange for their doctor to handle the certification.

Here is a practical advice. When the time is near, it may be better to make prior arrangement with a funeral director. They can handle the nencessary matters and reduce the stress for the family.